Jenny Saville is a contemporary artist known for her powerful, visceral paintings of the human body. Her work often features figures that are distorted, enlarged, or otherwise exaggerated, pushing the boundaries of traditional representations of the body.
One of the most striking aspects of Saville’s paintings is her use of technique. She employs a variety of methods to create lifelike, textured surfaces that convey a sense of physicality and movement. In this blog post, we will explore the techniques that Jenny Saville uses in her paintings.
By examining her use of thick application of oil paint, impasto, blending, scraping, and layering, we will gain a deeper understanding of how Saville creates her striking, unforgettable images.
Thick Application of Oil Paint
One of the most distinctive features of Jenny Saville’s paintings is her use of oil paint applied in thick, heavy layers. This technique gives her figures a sense of physicality and movement that is hard to achieve with thinner layers of paint.
Saville uses a variety of tools to apply the paint, including brushes, palette knives, and her own fingers. By layering the paint in this way, she creates a three-dimensional effect on the canvas that makes her figures feel almost sculptural.
The texture of the paint is also crucial to the effect that Saville achieves in her paintings. Each painted mark has a supple, mobile life of its own, as if it is a living part of the figure on the canvas.
The thick layers of paint create a sense of depth, as if the figures are emerging from the surface of the painting. This texture is particularly effective when Saville is depicting the folds and contours of flesh, which take on a tangible quality in her paintings.
One example of Saville’s use of thick application of paint can be seen in her painting “Red Stare Head I” (2005). In this work, the figure’s face is rendered in a thick, sculptural layer of paint that gives it a sense of volume and weight. The folds of the figure’s skin are clearly defined, creating a sense of depth and texture that is almost tactile.
Another example can be found in “Hyphen” (2003-2004), where the figure’s body is rendered in thick, gestural strokes of paint that convey a sense of movement and tension. The layers of paint build up to create a three-dimensional surface that emphasizes the physicality of the figure.
Overall, Saville’s use of thick application of oil paint is a key element of her unique style. It allows her to create figures that feel alive and breathing, with a sense of weight and movement that is hard to achieve through other techniques.
Impasto
Impasto is a painting technique where the paint is applied in thick, textured layers that create a three-dimensional surface on the canvas. Jenny Saville is known for her use of impasto to create physicality and presence in her figures.
By building up layers of paint, Saville creates a surface that is almost sculptural, giving her figures a sense of weight and depth.
Saville often uses impasto to depict the folds and contours of flesh in her figures. The thick layers of paint allow her to create the subtle undulations of skin and muscle that give her figures their lifelike quality.
She also uses impasto to create a sense of movement and tension, as the layers of paint build up to create a surface that appears to be in motion.
One example of Saville’s use of impasto can be seen in her painting “Torso II” (2005-2006). In this work, the figure’s torso is rendered in thick, gestural strokes of paint that create a surface that is almost three-dimensional. The layers of paint build up to create a surface that appears to be in motion, as if the figure is twisting and turning.
Another example can be found in “Matrix” (2003), where the figure’s face is depicted in thick, layered strokes of paint that give it a sense of volume and weight. The folds and contours of the figure’s skin are clearly defined, creating a sense of texture and depth that is almost tactile.
Overall, Saville’s use of impasto is a key element of her unique style. It allows her to create figures that feel solid and tangible, with a sense of weight and depth that is hard to achieve through other techniques.
By building up layers of paint in this way, Saville creates a surface that is almost sculptural, giving her figures a sense of presence and physicality.
Blending
Blending is a painting technique that involves creating smooth transitions between colors and forms. Jenny Saville is known for her skillful use of blending to create a sense of depth and dimensionality in her paintings.
She uses a variety of tools to blend the paint, including brushes, rags, and her own fingers. By blending the paint in this way, she is able to create a seamless transition between different areas of the canvas, giving her figures a sense of unity and coherence.
Saville often uses blending to create subtle variations in color and tone in her figures. By blending different colors together, she is able to create a sense of depth and dimensionality that is hard to achieve with flat, uniform colors.
She also uses blending to create a sense of movement and fluidity in her figures, as the colors blend together to create a surface that appears to be in motion.
One example of Saville’s use of blending can be seen in her painting “Plan” (2005). In this work, the figure’s body is depicted in a range of colors that blend together to create a sense of depth and texture. The colors flow seamlessly into one another, creating a surface that appears to be in motion.
Another example can be found in “Fulcrum” (1998), where the figure’s flesh is rendered in a range of tones that blend together to create a sense of volume and weight. The transitions between different areas of the figure’s body are smooth and seamless, giving the figure a sense of unity and coherence.
Overall, Saville’s use of blending is a key element of her unique style. It allows her to create figures that feel alive and breathing, with a sense of movement and fluidity that is hard to achieve through other techniques.
By blending different colors and tones together, Saville is able to create a surface that appears to be in motion, giving her figures a sense of energy and vitality.
Scraping
Scraping is a painting technique that involves removing layers of paint to reveal the underlying layers. Jenny Saville often uses this technique in her paintings to create a sense of history and texture.
By scraping away layers of paint, she is able to reveal the marks and textures of previous layers, creating a surface that is rich in texture and depth.
Saville typically uses a variety of tools to scrape away the paint, including palette knives and razor blades. By scraping away the paint in this way, she is able to create a surface that appears to have a sense of history and depth, with the marks of previous layers visible beneath the surface.
One example of Saville’s use of scraping can be seen in her painting “Hyphen” (2017). In this work, the figure’s body is depicted in a range of colors and textures that have been built up through multiple layers of paint.
Saville then used a razor blade to scrape away areas of the paint, revealing the underlying layers and creating a sense of history and texture.
Another example can be found in “Stare” (2000), where the figure’s face is rendered in a range of colors and tones that have been built up through multiple layers of paint. Saville then used a palette knife to scrape away areas of the paint, revealing the underlying layers and creating a sense of depth and texture.
Overall, Saville’s use of scraping is a key element of her unique style. It allows her to create figures that feel textured and layered, with a sense of history and depth that is hard to achieve through other techniques.
By revealing the marks of previous layers, Saville creates a surface that is rich in texture and depth, giving her figures a sense of presence and physicality.
Layering
Layering is a painting technique that involves building up multiple layers of paint to create a sense of richness and complexity. Jenny Saville often uses this technique in her paintings to create figures that are rich in color and texture.
By layering multiple colors and tones on top of one another, she is able to create a surface that is rich and varied, with different colors and textures visible through the layers of paint.
One of the key aspects of Saville’s use of layering is that she allows underlying colors to show through the layers of paint. This creates a sense of depth and complexity in her figures, as different colors and tones are visible beneath the surface layer of paint.
By allowing underlying colors to show through, Saville is able to create a sense of depth and dimensionality in her figures, giving them a sense of presence and physicality.
One example of Saville’s use of layering can be seen in her painting “Propped” (1992). In this work, the figure’s body is depicted in a range of colors and tones that have been built up through multiple layers of paint. The underlying layers of paint are visible in areas where the surface layer has been scraped away or worn down, creating a sense of depth and texture.
Another example can be found in “Reverse” (2003), where the figure’s body is depicted in a range of colors and textures that have been built up through multiple layers of paint. The underlying layers of paint are visible in areas where the surface layer has been scraped away or worn down, creating a surface that is rich and varied.
Overall, Saville’s use of layering is a key element of her unique style. It allows her to create figures that are rich in color and texture, with a sense of depth and complexity that is hard to achieve through other techniques.
By layering multiple colors and tones on top of one another, she creates a surface that is rich and varied, with different colors and textures visible through the layers of paint.
By allowing underlying colors to show through, she creates a sense of depth and dimensionality in her figures, giving them a sense of presence and physicality.
Here is a Table That Summarizes Some of the Key Painting Techniques Used by Jenny Saville:
| Painting Technique | Description | Example Painting |
|---|---|---|
| Thick application of oil paint | Heavy layers of paint create movement and depth | “Hyphen” (2003-2005) |
| Impasto | Thick, textured application of paint creates physicality in figures | “Reverse” (2002-2003) |
| Blending | Smooth transitions between colors and forms create a sense of unity | “Fulcrum” (1998-1999) |
| Scraping | Removal of layers of paint creates a sense of history and texture | “Matrix” (1999-2000) |
| Layering | Building up layers of paint adds richness and complexity | “Torso 2” (2004) |
The table summarizes how each technique is used by Saville, along with an example painting that demonstrates the technique. This table provides a quick reference guide to some of the key techniques that make Saville’s work so distinctive and powerful.
FAQs
Saville’s use of texture in her paintings helps to create a sense of physicality and presence in her figures, which can be emotionally powerful. The thick layers of paint, the scraped surfaces, and the richly layered colors all contribute to a sense of depth and complexity in her work that can evoke a visceral response in viewers.
Saville’s color choices are often inspired by the human body itself, with its range of hues and tones. She has said that she is drawn to “fleshy” colors, such as pinks, reds, and browns, which she uses to create a sense of physicality in her figures. She also experiments with a range of other colors, using them to create contrasts and harmonies that add to the overall impact of her paintings.
Saville’s paintings often feature distorted, exaggerated, or abstracted figures, but they are still recognizable as representations of the human body. She balances the abstract and the representational by using techniques that emphasize the physicality of her figures, such as impasto and thick layers of paint, while also creating a sense of movement and fluidity that can be abstract or gestural in nature.
Saville’s work is often seen as part of a broader movement in figurative painting that emerged in the 1990s, which emphasized the physicality and materiality of the painted surface. This movement included artists such as Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, and Cecily Brown, among others. Saville’s work is notable for its focus on the female body, and for its ability to convey a sense of the weight, movement, and presence of the human form.
Conclusion
Jenny Saville is a masterful painter who employs a range of techniques to create figures that are rich in color, texture, and physicality. Her use of thick application of oil paint, impasto, blending, scraping, and layering all contribute to the unique and powerful quality of her work.
Saville’s paintings are notable for their ability to convey the weight, movement, and visceral presence of the human body. Through her use of these techniques, she creates figures that are at once abstract and deeply grounded in physical reality.
Overall, Saville’s work demonstrates the power of painting to capture the complexity and depth of the human experience. Her unique style and innovative use of painting techniques make her one of the most important and influential artists of her generation.
